1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal examination jig for checking whether or not the bending of a terminal to be received, for example, in a connector of an automotive wire harness, is within a predetermined tolerance.
2. Related Art
A crimp-type terminal includes at least one pair of press-clamping piece portions, and can be connected to a wire by inwardly press-fastening the pair of press-clamping piece portions to the wire. This crimp-type terminal has a problem that its electrical contact portion, provided at its distal end, is bent when the press-clamping piece portions are press-fastened to the wire. A bend-up (upward bending), a bend-down (downward bending) and a twist (lateral bending) are known as deformations of the crimp-type terminal.
The deformation of the crimp-type terminal has heretofore been examined by a comparison observation method (in which the examination operator compares an actual product with an on-specification product (whose dimensional variation is within a tolerance) with the eyes) or by the use of a simplified microscope. However, such method has problems that an error due to an individual difference occurs and that much time is required for the examination, so that the efficiency of the examination operation is not good.
Therefore, there is known a terminal examination jig 50 (shown in FIG. 9) which has been proposed in order to solve the above problems as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei. 9-138261. This conventional example provides the terminal examination jig 50 capable of precisely examining a bent male terminal 54, and this jig includes a pin receiving portion 55 having a hole 57 of a minimum size into which an electrical contact portion 54a of the male terminal 54 can be inserted to reach the vicinity of a conducting pin 57a. If the male terminal 54 is bent even slightly, the electrical contact portion 54a can not be inserted into the pin receiving portion 55, and therefore can not be brought into contact with the conducting pin 7a. In this manner, the bending of the male terminal 54 can be judged.
This terminal examination jig 50 comprises a body 51, a fixed connector holding portion 52 provided upright at one end of the body 51, and the movable pin receiving portion (corresponding to a mating connector) 55 which contains the conducting pin 57a for contact with the male terminal 54 of a connector 53 held by the connector holding portion 52, and this pin receiving portion 55 can be slidingly moved to fit on the connector 53 by pivotally moving a lever 60. The insertion hole 57 for the insertion of the electrical contact portion 54a of the male terminal 54 thereinto is formed in the pin receiving portion 55, and the conducting pin 57a is provided in a projecting manner within the insertion hole 57.
The connector 53 comprises a connector housing 53a having a terminal receiving chamber, and the male terminal 54 received in the terminal receiving chamber. The connector 53 is held by the connector holding portion 52 in such a manner that the electrical contact portion 54a of the male terminal 54 is opposed to the conducting pin 57a in the pin receiving portion 55.
The movable pin receiving portion 55, while guided by a straight guide key 61 formed at the body 51, can slide toward and away from the connector 53. A recess portion 56 for fitting on a fitting portion 53b of the connector 53 is formed at the pin receiving portion 55, and the insertion hole 57 (within which the conducting pin 57a is provided in a projecting manner) is formed in the recess portion 56. The insertion hole 57 is formed into a size substantially equal to an allowable amount of bending of male terminal 54, and the male terminal 54, deformed beyond the allowable limit, can not be inserted into the insertion hole 57.
The pin receiving portion 55 is normally urged in a direction away from the connector 53 by a spring force of a coil spring 63 mounted around a guide shaft 62, and is located at a left position (in the drawing) when the lever 60 is not operated for pivotal movement. When the lever 60 is operated to be pivotally moved, the pin receiving portion 55 is moved toward the connector 53 against the spring force of the coil spring 63, and is fitted on the connector 53.
The lever 60 is provided at a rear end of the pin receiving portion 55, and can slide the pin receiving portion 55 through its cam surface 60a, and this lever 60 is pivotally supported by a pin 64. When the lever 60 is not operated, the pivotal movement of this lever is stopped by a stopper 65.
However, this terminal examination jig has the following problems.
Firstly, the number of the component parts of the terminal examination jig 50 is large, and therefore there is encountered a problem that the jig has a large size, and therefore has a poor handleability. In addition, it is difficult to enhance the precision of examination of the jig itself, and the compact and precise connector, as well as the male terminal to be received in this connector, can not examined highly precisely.
And besides, in this terminal examination jig 50, the connector 53, receiving the male terminal 54 therein, must be fixed to the connector holding portion 52, and time and labor are required for fixing the connector 53, and the examination can not be carried out efficiently (It is difficult to enhance the efficiency of the examination operation).
Furthermore, the object to be examined is limited to the connector 53 (the male terminal 54), and when the kind of connector 53 is changed, a modified connector holding portion 52 and a modified pin receiving portion 55 must be additionally produced, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that the above examination jig can not used on a general-purpose basis for the examination of other kinds of connectors and terminals. And besides, the connector 53 is limited to a female-type connector including the so-called female connector housing 53a having the male terminal 54 received therein, and the examination of male-type connectors and female terminals can not be carried out.
Furthermore, there is a fear that when the lever 60 is vigorously pivotally moved so as to fit the pin receiving portion 55 on the connector 53, the conducting pin 57a strikes hard against the male terminal 54, so that the male terminal 54 and the conducting pin 57a are damaged.